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Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #1

I review Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #1, the first issue in mini-series that looks at the aftermath of the events in the Serenity movie, providing some much needed continuation for Firefly fans. Published by Dark Horse Comics, Serenity: Leaves on the Wind is written by Zack Whedon with Georges Jeanty on artistic duties.

Firefly is probably my all time favourite TV show and Serenity the movie was just as awesome as the show, so you can certainly say that I went into Serenity with high expectations – I’ve been awaiting this comic for what feels like forever and now it’s finally here part of me was worried that it would be a let down due to the amount of hype that was built up. And it’s safe to say that I’m actually really happy with how the issue turned out – it’s a solid first issue that continues the storyline from the Serenity movie very well.

The biggest problem with a tie-in comic that features characters from a show or a movie (or both) is getting them to look and feel in character, and it’s safe to say that Zack Whedon has got the characterizations of the Crew of Serenity, who are among my favourite fictional characters of all time, absolutely spot on. His Malcolm Reynolds is exactly like the Mal that we’re familiar with, his Kaylee is exactly like the Kaylee that we’re familiar with and so on. The characters were the strongest part of the show and the movie and that has continued here – and this a good job as for Firefly fans, this is as close as a second season or a second movie that we’re ever going to get unless a miracle happens. It really works here and I’m happy to say that Whedon has written a great first issue that sets the stage for things to come.

Tensions are stirring following the revelations at the end of Serenity – where Mal exposed the Reavers to the rest of the ‘verse. The crew are splintered with Jayne having left and the death of Wash hanging over the remaining crew meaning that nothing can go back to the way things were again. And to make things more complicated for Mal, Kaylee, Zoe, Simon and River, Zoe is heavily pregnant, and with the crew down on money and hiding in a place without a name things can hardly get much better for them. Mal needs a job, not knowing that he is about to find himself the centre of a resistance movement that has sparked against the Alliance. This first issue is certainly not the place to start if you’re new to the Firefly series – I recommend going back and watching the TV series and the movie before even thinking about delving into this comic, it’s far from new reader friendly and that’s a good thing as its intended audience is easily aimed at Firefly fans, or Browncoats.

The artwork from Georges Jeanty is the only thing that I’m not a huge fan of. It’s hard to capture characters who have had live action adaptions well, and the designs don’t feel as close to the likes of Nathan Fillion and company as they should be. But Jeanty’s artwork is far from poor and there are several good pages here – and there could have easily been worse artists on this mini-series.

Either way though, it’s great to have the crew of Serenity back in any shape or form, and hopefully following the mini-series they’ll find some way to stick around. After all, if Buffy is still kicking with Season 10 coming soon, why can’t we have an ongoing Firefly comic?